The Blaring Truth of Life
by msal710
Summary: Set a few months after the season finale. The residents of Tree Hill must face the events in there life. All characters, BL, but no other couples decided.
1. A Long Time Coming

_A/N: Hi! This is my first fic so it probly sucks and if it does, tell me, but be nice please :) Just for clarification, everything happened in the season finale, and this is a few months afterwards. This chapter might be a bit boring, but I had to do introductions. Read and Review and I will love you forever!_

* * *

Brooke Davis awoke to the shining sun of California coming in through the window of her parent's home. Being the morning person that she was, Brooke slid out of bed easily and pulled on a strapless dress over her bathing suit. She glanced at the phone, which by the blinking number; she could tell she had 2 messages. She reached over to hit play and a woman's voice filled the room 

"Brooke, darling it's you mother." Brooke rolled her eyes. Duh. "I just wanted to let you know that your father and I are going for a day at the country club and then we'll pick you up for dinner with the Smith's. Be ready at 6:30. Bye sweetie." Brooke groaned. Another fun filled evening with her boring parents and there boring friends at a stuffy restaurant was just what she wanted. Another familiar voice came through the speaker as the second message began to play

"Hey best friend, it's me. Just wanted to say hey and wanted to know when you're coming back. It's so boring with out you! Oh and Lucas says hi. Give me a call, bye Brookie."

Brooke smiled. She missed Peyton and all of Tree Hill like crazy. In fact, if it wasn't for Peyton's regular phone call's she probably would have_ gone_ crazy. She cringed at the sound of Lucas's name. Since their awkward goodbye, she hadn't spoken to him. She wanted to, but she hadn't gotten up the nerve. But it wasn't like he was calling, she hadn't heard from him all summer, not to say she blamed him after the way Brooke had left. From Peyton's phone calls she gathered that Lucas and Peyton had hung out a couple times but Peyton didn't know about what had happened between them. Brooke didn't think Lucas had told her and she didn't really want to bring it up and make things awkward. Brooke hadn't spoken with her parents about going back to Tree Hill in the fall, and realized that she should, seeing as how it was August. She made a mental note to bring that up to her parents at dinner. Brooke grabbed the phone and began dialing Peyton's number.

"Hello?" came a voice from the other end.

"Hi P. Sawyer!"

* * *

Peyton hung up the phone with Brooke, after talking to her for a good 40 minutes. She really missed her, especially with Jake gone and when she didn't have anyone else to talk to. Peyton just hoped that Brooke would come back and soon. She didn't know if she could handle a whole school year by herself. Her phone rang again. 

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Peyton, it's me."

"Hey Lucas. What's up?" Through the summer, Lucas and Peyton had hung out a few times and developed into better friends than before. At first Peyton worried about developing feelings for Lucas again, but she had quickly realized that her intentions were only friendly and she was extremely glad, because she needed a friend and with still hurting over Jake, love wasn't something she was seeking right now. The thought of what Brooke said about Lucas having feelings for her still occupied a space in the back of her mind, but he hadn't said or acted in any way that would show those kinds of feelings, so Peyton chose not to pursue talking about it.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to get some lunch with me." Lucas asked. Peyton agreed to meet him in half an hour at his mom's café, although his mom was still visiting Andy in New Zealand.

Peyton sighed and leaned back against the bed. Her eyes fell on her webcam, still covered by her black jacket. Her thoughts drifted to Ellie or Elizabeth, she wasn't quite sure. After she had dropped the bombshell on her, Peyton had told her that it wasn't true and to get away from her and her house. After that, she had never heard from the woman again, and therefore and not mentioned the incident to anybody. She still thought about it sometimes, and a part of her wondered if there was any truth to Elizabeth's words. But then she immediately felt guilty and reminded herself that Elizabeth would have contacted her again if it were true. She grabbed her coat and made her way to meet Lucas.

* * *

Lucas sat on his bed. He had only a few minutes before he had to go meet Peyton. He was glad someone was around this summer, with his mom gone, Brooke gone and not talking to him, Haley away, and Nathan at High Flyers and not speaking to him. Gee, his life was so wonderful. He also had the added weight of Dan being in the hospital. He remembered that day… 

_ L ucas had been walking through town, filled with thoughts about Brooke, Haley and Nathan. He had let his feet take him wherever, while his mind was somewhere else. Lucas was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts by the smell of smoke entering his nostrils. He looked up and stood shocked at the sight of Dan's dealership up in flames. He reacted by pulling out his cell phone and calling the fire department, conveniently located right around the corner. He watched as Dan was pulled out of the fire, looking worse for wear, and was loaded onto the a stretcher to be taken to the hospital. _

_ A fireman had approached him." Sir, you saved Mr. Scott's life. If we had gotten here any later, Mr. Scott probably would have died. Not to say he is not in poor condition, because he is. But we may have a chance at saving him." The fireman nodded at Lucas and went to attend to business. The realization that he had saved his father's life, his father who he was supposed to have no longer any connections with, dawned on him slowly and made him shutter. He turned around and ran, ran wherever his feet could carry him._

_ Lucas ended up at the Rivercourt. He had sat and thought about everything, especially his situation with Dan. He had decided there that he wouldn't visit Dan, no matter what.__When he got home, there was a message from Deb alerting him that Dan was in the hospital undergoing surgery. Deb had sounded stressed and tired, and Lucas felt bad for her. He knew she didn't need this, especially when Nathan was gone._

Lucas hadn't gone back on his promise to himself. He hadn't visited Dan. Through the chatter of Tree Hill, he had heard that Dan was in a coma, and had been since his surgeries had ended. This meant that he didn't know that Lucas had been the one to call for help. Lucas preferred it this way for right now, he didn't know if he wanted any ties to Dan.

Glancing at the clock, Lucas realized it was time he met Peyton, so he got up and left.

* * *

_A/N: So...what did you think? Please tell me! And yeah, I know that a lot of questions still haven't been answered but I will! And for Nathan and Haley, I will get to them in the next chapter; I just didn't want the first chapter to be like, forever because sometimes they can be hard to read. REVIEW! Morgan _


	2. The Looming Future

_A/N: Ok first of Thank you SOOOOOO much to everyone who reviewed, they made me incredibly happy. If you read this, please review. It means a ton to me. OK so since the characters don't really interact with each other in the first two chapters, it can be kinda boring. I apologize. Um, some notes are Nathan doesn't know about Dan if you can't tell that in this chapter and I forget how Haley's parents are traveling so I just said RV. So here is the second chapter, I hope you like it__:) And italics are in flashbacks in case anybody was confused_

* * *

Sweaty and tired, Nathan Scott crashed into his bed after a hard, long day at High Flyers. He had spent two grueling months here, and had never been more worked or exhausted. He had also been having the best time of his life. Working so hard had helped keep his mind off of his life.

As he lay on his bed, Nathan's thoughts drifted to his mom, and Haley. He had been worrying about his mom a lot this summer. Just as they were rebuilding their bond, she had to stay the whole summer with Dan. Nathan just hoped his mom would survive and they could get out of Dan's rule.

Nathan concentrated on Haley. He remembered when she had showed up on his doorstep. He had been shocked…

_Nathan swung the door open to come face to face with his wife...or ex-wife...Whatever she was, Haley was standing on his doorstep._

_"Hi," she said timidly. She looked around nervously. Nathan almost laughed when he thought about how they had been husband and wife a few months ago, and now they didn't know what to say to each other. _

_"Haley?" He asked bewildered. He knew it was her. He wasn't stupid and unless he was hallucinating, she was standing right there, he just had no idea why. She nodded and gave him a small smile, but given his still confused and upset look, her previous look of doubt crossed her face once again. _

_"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked, hoping for a real answer. He wanted to know and he deserved to know. _

_"Nathan, I'm done. I'm done with the tour, and for right now I want to put music aside. I just want to be a high school student again. I'm not naïve. I know that you won't just take me back; I know we both signed those annulment papers. But I want you in my life," Haley said straightforwardly. In fact, Nathan was a little shocked at her honest._

"_Haley...I leave for High Flyers tomorrow," he replied unable to say anything else. _

_Haley looked at the ground, "I know. Lucas told me and that is why I'm going with my parents for the summer. I just wanted to let you know that I was done." Haley glanced at Nathan. The two of them stood in awkward silence for a moment until Haley grabbed Nathan and hugged him, wrapping her arms tight around his torso. Nathan's hands seemed to return the hug automatically._

_Haley stepped back almost embarrassed "I guess I better it going." Nathan nodded in agreement. She turned around and took a few steps toward her car before turning around, "Nathan?" Nathan turned around and looked at her. "It was…really good to see you. I missed you, you know." And with that she made her way to her car and left Nathan standing on his porch, watching her go. _

"_Nathan?" Deb came up behind him. Nathan turned around and followed his mom inside. His mother looked at him with a look he couldn't read. He waited for her to ask about who was at the door but she didn't and after a few seconds, continued to chop the carrots on the counter. _

_Nathan wanted to tell his mom that Haley had come home, but he didn't want to upset her the day before he left. He knew she couldn't take it. _

_The phone rang and Deb answered it. _

"_Hello? Yes it is. What?" Nathan looked up, curious as to who was on the phone. _

_"Oh I see. Yes sir. Thank you. Bye." His mom hung the phone and turned towards him. She opened her mouth to say something, but then thought the better of it and returned to chopping the carrots. Taking his lead from her, Nathan didn't say anything and soon retired to bed, he had an early morning._

Nathan sighed. High Flyers ended in a week and he would return to his drama filled life. He had no idea where he and Haley's relationship lay. He had no idea where she wanted it to lay. Heck, he didn't even know where he wanted it to be. But he did know that he would have to face her eventually. The same went for Lucas. He felt anger at the thought of his brother's name. Lucas had just pissed him off so much. He had lied right and left and Nathan couldn't take anymore of that.

"Hey Scott, dinner," his roommate called to him. Nathan blew out his breath and pulled himself off his bed.

* * *

Haley crashed in her room aboard her parents RV. Being with her parents was fun; she had missed them when they were gone. But everyday being somewhere different and doing something constantly could wear a girl out. Overall she had enjoyed summer. While part of her wanted to go back to Tree Hill, another part wanted to stay here forever. When she went back she would have to face everybody.

Haley thought back to right after Lucas and Brooke left. That night she lay in bed, thinking about Nathan, school, and the conversations between her and Lucas. Lucas thought she was still touring, she didn't want to explain herself to him yet. That night Haley had come to a conclusion. When she woke up the next morning, she went to Joey and told him she was leaving. She said goodbye to Chris, Michelle and Jessica. She called her parents. She packed her bags and boarded a plane and she had never been so scared in her life. She wanted to see Nathan so badly, but she was terrified. Haley knew that Nathan was angry and hurt. He could slam the door in her face for all she knew.

Haley hadn't talked to Nathan since she had showed up at his house. She had talked to her parents and told them everything about Nathan, Chris, and touring while she traveled with them. She had almost felt like a little kid this summer, running away from her troubles and spending time with her parents. It was really good for her. She didn't even know if she would be able to go back to Tree Hill, seeing as she didn't have any place to stay.

"Haley?" Haley looked up to see her mom's head poking in through the door. "Are you coming to dinner?"

Haley nodded and followed her mom to a restaurant in front of where they had parked. Her dad was already sitting there. The three of them made small talk while eating there food before Haley's parents looked at each other.

"Honey?" Haley looked up from her food to look at her dad. "We have decided something," He glanced at her mom. "We're moving back to Tree Hill. All of us. Your mom and I have decided that we have taken a year to travel and now we want to be back home for our baby girl's senior year," Haley smiled at her parents. It would be nice to have them back, but this also meant she was definitely going back, definitely facing everything she left. And that terrified her.

* * *

Brooke had rarely been this bored in her life. She sat in one of the most expensive restaurants in town with her parents and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Right now, her father was talking about the stock market and her mother was talking about china. She had been here for an hour and a half already.

"Brooke, are you ready to go?" Brooke looked at her mother, who was standing up and gathering her coat, along with the rest of the adults. Brooke nodded and did the same.

She sat in the car with her parents in silence while her parents talked about something insignificant.

"Can I go back to Tree Hill?" Brooke asked suddenly. She didn't care about interrupting and she wanted to know, she _needed_ to know.

Her parents looked at each other. "But wouldn't you like to go to school here? The schools are good and you wouldn't have to worry about it being cold," her mom asked persistently.

"My life is in Tree Hill. I have one year left, and I want to go back. You guys can have your little life here, I don't care. But I belong in Tree Hill for one more year,"

Her parents didn't say anything for a few moments before her dad spoke up "We'll see what we can do."

Brooke awoke the next morning to the same sun that she had woke up to all summer. She got up got dressed and hit her answering machine button to play the messages. Her parents awoke ungodly early every morning and left somewhere. To let Brooke know where they were, they called from their location.

"Hi Brooke, it's your mother. Your father and I are at a charity brunch and then we're heading to play some tennis. We'll be home around four. Oh and I talked to Karen last night and she says she will be more than happy to let you stay with her for the school year. We took the liberty of booking you a flight tomorrow. You'll of course come here for Christmas and spring break. Ok well love you darling. Bye."

Brooke sunk back on her bed. She was going back and she was happy, but also petrified. Not only would she have to face him at school, but she had to live with Lucas. She looked at her clothing flung across her room.

"Might as well start packing," Brooke said aloud. She grabbed her suitcase out of her closet and began to fold clothes.

"Going somewhere?" Came a deep voice behind her. Brooke turned around to see a tall, tan, muscular guy standing in her doorway. His name was Trevor, and Brooke had met him at the beginning of the summer. His parents were friends with Brooke's parents, so she knew he was rich.

"Yes, actually. I'm going home," Brooke replied, continuing to pack, but also looking at him.

"Don't your parents live here? Or are you one of those families that own a bazillion houses around the world and this is just one of them?" Trevor asked smiling.

Brooke rolled her eyes," My parents moved here this year, I've lived in North Carolina my whole life, I'm staying with friends."

"Gotcha. Reader's Digest version. That's hot."

Brooke laughed, "Was there something that you wanted?"

"Yes actually. Your mom told my mom that you were leaving and I was deeply distraught," Trevor began.

"Deeply distraught?" Brooke looked at him.

Trevor cocked his head, "Yes," he stated with mock irritation, "deeply distraught. Anyways, you haven't been out with me this whole summer, just as friends," he added when he saw Brooke's look, "and that just doesn't sit well with me. So, today, you're going to hang out with me."

Brooke scoffed, "Oh really. And then am I going to cook you dinner master?" Brooke asked sarcastically as she bowed.

"No, we're going to go out to eat." He headed out the door and turned around when he was Brooke wasn't following.

"Coming?" He asked, holding out his arm. Brooke looked at her clothing. What could it hurt? She laughed and followed him out of his house.

_A/N: So what did ya think? Tell me! And I know that the whole Trevor thing was kinda random but I have a few storylines planned in my head and I think he might play a part one. I definitely don't have the whole thing planned and it probably will change as I go, so maybe not but we'll see. Oh well, I named him after my adorable 3 week old cousin, so I love him :P So, the next chapter will be mostly getting Brooke, Nathan and Haley home. Ok well hope you enjoyed. Morgan_


	3. Ain't No Easy Way Out

_A/N: Howdy. First off, thanks for the reviews :) You know I love 'em. Sorry it took me so long to UD I just…didn't get around to it. : P The first part is kind of just there to clear the whole heart medication thing up. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about Dan…die or not die? There is a lot of Brooke in this chapter, so if you don't like that, sorry. I just wanted to have Peyton and Brooke "reunite" so to speak and I figured Brooke and Peyton should know she's there. Plus I have longer, more detailed scenes for Lucas/Haley and Nathan/Haley reuniting. OK well here is the third chapter, Read and Review! Oh and I have mind block and can't remember what those things at airports that have your bags spin around are called so that's what I meant by table.

* * *

_

Lucas sat at the Rivercourt, thinking about his life the past year, when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Lucas?" Lucas turned around to find Deb standing there with an apprehensive look on her face. He understood why, they weren't exactly on the best terms.

"Deb, hey. What…uh, are you doing here?' Lucas asked.

Deb looked around. "Could we talk?"

Lucas nodded and gestured to the seat next to him on the picnic table, which Deb gratefully took.

Deb paused a moment before beginning. "Lucas, I'm sorry. I know Dan has screwed up your life pretty severely."

"But Deb that's not your-" Lucas interrupted.

Deb held her hand up. "Lucas please, let me finish," Lucas nodded and Deb continued. "Lucas, I know that he was blackmailing you to live with us. And I know that you tried to take him down, and I can't thank you enough for that. I also know the he trapped you. And finally, I know he was paying for your heart medication and has stopped, and you have gone three months without it," Deb looked at Lucas, who was surprised that Deb knew all this.

"Look, Dan is lying in that hospital bed in a coma, without anyone there," Deb said. Lucas looked at the ground. As much as he hated Dan, he sometimes felt guilty about this. "And Lucas?" Lucas looked up. "He deserves that. You have every reason to not see him, as do I, as does the whole community. Dan brought this on himself,"

Lucas stared at her. "Thanks Deb."

She gave him a small smile, "Also, I'll pay for your heart medication." Lucas started to protest but Deb stopped him, "Do you have anyone else to pay for it? Because I'm supposing you mom doesn't know."

Lucas shook his head, "Again, thanks. It really means a lot to me, and if you didn't tell my mom,"

Deb smiled and grabbed his hand, "I won't…but you should." And with that she got up and left Lucas to return to his thoughts.

* * *

Nathan grabbed his bags of the table, and made his way to meet his mom.

She broke out into a smile when she saw him and ran to give him a hug.

"Nathan! I'm so glad your home. It's been lonely around the house without you," Deb said, grabbing one of his bags and leading him to the car.

"Yeah, I missed you too."

"Nathan?" A female voice called out. Nathan turned around to see Brooke coming towards him.

"Brooke, hey," he said giving her a hug.

"Ok well Nate, I'll just go pull the car around," Deb said, sensing her presence wasn't required. Nathan nodded to his mom and turned back to Brooke.

"So how was California?" Nathan inquired. He looked at Brooke. She was tanned and her hair seemed to have gotten some sun.

"Sunny. How was…that camp that you went to?" she asked, laughing.

"It was good. I had fun," he replied as they made their way to the parking lot. "So, uh, have you talked to Haley at all this summer?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, I figured she's probably busy with the tour," Brooke replied, earning a funny look from Nathan. Brooke furrowed her brow. "What?"

Nathan looked at his shoes, "Oh, nothing. Never mind," he continued walking but Brooke stopped and grabbed his arm, glaring at him. He shuffled his feet. "Well she came back. At the end of the school year. It was right before I left for High Flyers, she told me she was traveling with her parents for the summer."

Brooke's mouth fell open. "Oh my gosh, I'm going to _kill_ her! How could she not tell me?" Nathan chuckled. Brooke frowned and looked at him, "So what are you going to do?"

Nathan tilted his head to the side, "what do you mean?"

"Well are you going to ignore her? Or do you want to get back together, or stay friends or what?"

Nathan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. I've been thinking about it all summer. I love her, but she hurt me. I never want to feel like that again," he spotted his mom waiting in the car, "I should go. It was nice seeing you Brooke," he said hugging her.

"You too, Nate. And don't worry, you'll figure it out. Those who are meant to be together always find their way back right?" Brooke smiled and watched him retreat, then left to find her own car.

* * *

Brooke had gone straight from the airport to Peyton's house. She figured the longer she could put of seeing Lucas, the better. She still had no idea what to say to him. Plus, she was dying to see Peyton.

She walked quietly to the doorway of her best friend's room. Peyton was lying on her bed, facing away from Brooke, reading. Brooke quietly snuck behind her and grabbed her shoulders exclaiming, "Boo!"

Peyton screamed and laughed turning around. "Don't do that!" She playfully slapped Brooke before pulling her into a big hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"Of course it is," Brooke said returning the hug. Peyton sat on her bed and rolled her eyes, earning a smile from Brooke. "It's good to see you too."

"So have you heard?" Brooke asked playing with the bedspread.

"Heard what?"

"Haley's back."

"Nuh-uh. Seriously?" Peyton asked. Brooke nodded. "How is it that I'm here all summer, and you're here 20 minutes, and you already know huge gossip?" Peyton asked.

Brooke shrugged, smiling. "I'm just special. So anyways, what do you think this means?"

"I don't know. But I want to find out." Peyton jumped up, grabbing Brooke's arm. "Let's pay Hales a visit." She said exiting out the door, with Brooke on her heels.

* * *

Haley and her parents had been home for3 days. Haley was exhausted but shehad trouble sleeping night, she was filled with worries. What's going to happen to me and Nathan? What will everyone say? Will my friends hate me? Were the thoughts that kept running through her mind.

Haley heard the doorbell ring, and since she was right there, went to answer it. She pulled the door open to reveal Peyton and Brooke.

"Hales!"

"Tutor Girl!"

"Hey guys…what are you doing here?" Haley asked hesitantly, giving her friends a hug and allowing them to come in and leading them into her room.

"Well, Nathan told me you were back and you didn't call us so we figured we would stop by," Brooke answered, plopping herself down on Haley's bed.

"Nathan's back?" Haley asked. Brooke nodded.

"He just got back today," Peyton added hastily, making sure Haley didn't think he had been back for a while and she had been kept in the dark

"Oh," Haley said nonchalantly, though she was relieved. There was an awkward silence.

"So, Tutor Girl. Why'd you come back?" Brooke asked bluntly. Peyton looked at her. "What? I wanted to know," Brooke replied. Peyton chuckled and shook her head.

"I just...decided I wanted to be here for senior year. I missed Nathan, Tree Hill, Lucas, and you guys," Haley said shyly. she hoped Peyton and Brooke could forgive her for leaving

"Well of course you did. I mean how long did you really think you could stay away from me?" Brooke asked with a smile. Peyton and Haley laughed.

"So, Brooke, didn't Lucas say your parents moved to California? Where are you staying?" Haley asked. It was really good to be back and she wanted to know what was going on with all of her friends lives.

"Oh, um, Karen is letting stay with her. She has been since the end of last year," Brooke informed.

"Isn't that weird for you? You know, with Lucas and all?"

"Oh, well were, just friends," Brooke answered.

Haley seemed to sense that there was more to the story but Brooke wasn't in a sharing mood so she dropped the subject and turned to Peyton instead.

"Have you talked to Jake? Luke told me he had to leave at the end of the year."

"No. I'm sure he has been really busy," Peyton answered, looking down at the floor.

Haley nodded. She felt bad about bringing up bad subjects for her friends.

Brooke broke the silence once again, "do you guys want to go get some lunch?"

Haley looked at her gratefully and nodded. Peyton did the same and the three headed out.

* * *

_AN: So what did you think? Review! puppydogface Pretty please? I should have the next chapter up pretty soon. _


	4. DingDong

_Holla. I am listening to all my dad's country music he has on this computer…and these songs are weird. The one right now is called Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisley feat. Allison Kraus and it's like girl breaks up with guy, guy is heartbroken and never gets over it, guy feels so upset he kills himself, girl knows it's her fault so she kills herself. Puts you in a great mood, really :D Anyway… Here is the fourth chapter. Enjoy! Sorry for any grammar mistakes. _

Brooke and Peyton paid their lunch bill and headed out. Haley had eaten with them, but had to leave. She promised her parents she would go furniture shopping with them. Brooke opened the door of Karen's Café to come face to face with Lucas.

Payton came up behind them. "Hey Lucas."

"Hey Peyton. Hey Brooke," he said nodding at each one of them.

"Hi," Brooke replied. She reached up and gave him an awkward hug, but it was still good to see him.

"How was your summer?" Lucas asked casually. He wasn't going to imply that anything was out of the ordinary between the two of them. Peyton was busy rummaging in her purse. She didn't seem to think twice of the greeting between Brooke and Lucas. Lucas figured that Brooke hadn't told her about their goodbye.

"It was good, how 'bout you?" Brooke asked. She was trying her best to keep her cool. She has so many things she wanted to say, but for know she could pretend nothing ever happened between them.

"Good thanks."

"Hey Brooke you ready?" Peyton asked. Whatever she had been looking for, she had found and was now ready to go. "See you Luke."

"Yeah, bye. Both of you."

"Bye Lucas." Brooke said with a small wave of her hand, following Peyton out the door.

Nathan put the last pair of shorts away in his drawer and threw his suitcase in his closet. He

laid back on his bed, exhausted from his trip. His mom appeared at the open door. He smiled up at her

"Hey. Can I come in?" She asked. Nathan nodded and sat up. His mom took a seat next to him. "Nathan, we need to talk."

Nathan looked at her. She seemed apprehensive. "Sure mom. About what?"

"Dan."

Nathan looked at her sharply. "What did he do? Because I swear, I'm going to-"

"He's in a coma," Deb interrupted her son. Nathan sat shocked and not knowing what to say.

"The day you left, there was a fire at his dealership. He couldn't get out and he almost died. Someone called the firemen and they rushed him to the hospital. They were able to revive him, but he's been in a coma ever since," Deb explained.

"I don't know whether to be upset or ecstatic," Nathan said bitterly.

Deb put her hand on his leg, "I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just didn't want you to have to deal with it at camp."

"Don't worry about it. Have you visited him?" Nathan asked.

"No, not yet. I'll go if you want me to, though."

Nathan shook his head, "he doesn't deserve visitors."

Deb couldn't help but smile at her son. It was good to have him home.

The doorbell rang and Nathan stood up. "I'll get it," he said and went downstairs

Haley stood nervously on Nathan's doorstep. She had been thinking about him since Brooke said he was back. Finally, she decided to come over to 'say hi' and hopefully talk.

Nathan pulled open the door and stared when he saw who it was.

"Hey," Haley greeted him. This scenario seemed very familiar.

"Hi," Nathan mustered out. It was one thing to know Haley was in Tree Hill, it was another to actually see her standing there. He opened the door and stepped back, allowing her to come in. He led her to the couch and took a seat across from her. Nathan looked at Haley, waiting for her to begin.

"I figured we could talk, since the last time I saw you, we really didn't get to," Haley began, knowing she was going have to do most of the talking. Nathan nodded and allowed her to continue.

"Nate, I love you. I never stopped loving you. When I went on tour, I had so many feelings, and I was so confused. Honestly, I don't regret going on tour. It was amazing and a dream come true, but in the end, I realized that what I needed and wanted most was to be here at home with my family, and my friends, and you. I was going to come home, but when I got those annulment papers, I got scared and the tour seemed safer than coming home to an unknown future here. But when I realized that this is what I needed, I came home as soon as possible. I know I screwed up with you and but more than anything in the world, I want your forgiveness, and I want to go back to being us," Haley let out in one breath. She sat back against the couch and looked in Nathan's eyes, searching for a reaction.

Nathan stood up suddenly. "Do you think it's that easy? Haley, you left me alone and devastated. I was a _wreck_ when you left. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die."

Haley made to interrupt but Nathan silenced her with his hand, "You were off on tour with Chris, and I was here alone and it hurt. I came to see you, to let you know that I still loved you and still wanted us, and you basically dismissed me. I gave you those annulment papers because I thought that was what you wanted. Now, you're back and you say you want us and want it to be all easy? I would give anything to be with you simply again, but I just can't. Haley, I can't just forgive you, as much as I want to. I don't know…where we stand."

Haley was doing her best to hold her tears back and fight the sting of Nathan's words. She knew he was right, but it hurt to hear that reality. She nodded, "I guess I should go then," she said getting up and walking herself to the door, shutting it behind her.

Nathan stared at the door. It had killed him to say that stuff to Haley, but it was how he felt.

Haley ran as fast as she could away from Nathan's house. She let her feet carry her to a destination. It had started to rain, so water was mixed in with her tears. Fifteen minutes later, she found herself on Lucas's doorstep.

She rapped on the door, "come on Luke!" she exclaimed to herself, shivering from the rain.

Lucas answered quickly. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Haley?" he asked bewildered. Haley quickly remembered that he didn't know she had come back from tour.

She smiled, "hey. It's good to see you."

"Yeah, you too! What are you doing back?" Lucas asked, still shocked to see her.

Haley stared at Lucas. "Oh!" he said, "sorry." He pulled the door back and she entered inside grabbing the towel that he handed her gratefully.

"I quit the tour right after you left and then I went traveling with my parents for the summer," she answered, sitting down in Lucas's room.

Lucas was still confused as to what changed her mind from when she had told him that touring was her life, but noticing the tear stains on her face he decided not to press the subject.

"Hales, are you okay?" Lucas asked concernedly.

Haley looked at the floor for a moment before looking up at Lucas with fresh tears in her eyes.

"Luke, everything is so screwed up right now. I really messed up didn't I?" Haley asked.

Lucas sat down next to her, wrapping her in a hug. "Haley, everything will get better. I promise," he assured her, while she sobbed into his chest.

"Thanks. I don't know what I would do without you," Haley said, wiping her eyes. She was so glad she had Lucas, now and forever. She just hoped he was right, and everything would get better.

_OK Did you like it? ReviewReviewReview! It will make me the happiest girl in the whole entire world:D :D So I really don't know what to do about the couples… I know I 'm going to have BL but I don't know whether to have N/H and bring Jake back and have JP or have a new guy for Peyton, or have NP and have a new guy for Haley or maybe they'll all just stay single! But that's not fun :( Oh well, I'll think about it. I've written the next chapter but it's on my other computer and it doesn't have internet so as soon as I save it on a disk I'll upload it!_


	5. Peaceful Nights

_Hi! I am so sorry that it's taken me forever to get this chapter up, like I said before I wrote it a long time ago, but then when I went to save it on a disk, it got deleted, and before I got a chance to re-write it, I went on my vacation to Florida for my brother's baseball tournament. SO… since there was no computer, I didn't have a chance to UD but I just got back this morning and I'm bored so here is an ud!_

Lucas leaned against the door as he closed it behind Haley. They had spent the last hour, talking and catching up. It mostly consisted of him assuring her that everything would be alright in the end. For both their sakes, he hoped he was right. Lucas' heart went out to his best friend and wished everything would turn out good, but he knew that she had a long road ahead of her.

He flopped down on the couch, grabbing the remote. After flipping through the channels, he settled for highlights on ESPN.

Hearing the door open and footsteps, Lucas looked up to find Brooke standing in the doorway. When she spotted him sitting there, she froze.

"Oh, hi. I didn't realize you were in here. I'll just leave," she said jerking her thumb in the way she entered,

Lucas shook his head. "No, don't worry about it. I'll leave," he said, starting to get up.

"Don't be stupid. You were here first. I'm leaving."

"Look, there's plenty of room for the both of us," Lucas said giving Brooke a slight smile. She seemed to ponder it as he gestured to the spot next to him on the couch.

"You sure you don't mind?" Lucas shook his head.

Brooke smiled, "Okay," she said sitting down close enough to Lucas that she didn't make it seem awkward but far enough away so they weren't touching.

Several moments passed in silence before Brooke interrupted, "Is basketball, like, all you think about?"

Lucas didn't respond. He then handed the remote out to her, which she gratefully took. After several minutes of flipping through the channels so fast it gave Lucas a headache, Brooke proclaimed that there was nothing on.

"Nothing on? We have like 700 channels and you can't find one thing to watch?" Lucas asked incredulously.

Brooke shot him a look in response. "Let's watch a movie," focusing her attention once again to the television. "What do you want to watch?"

Lucas glanced over the movies they had on Pay-Per-View. "Let's watch Hoosiers. That's a great movie,"

Brooke wrinkled her nose, "Uh, thanks but no thanks. Ooh! Legally Blonde! I love that movie."

Lucas raised his eyebrows, "gee, as fun as that sounds, I'm going to have to pass. What about The Ring?"

Brooke shook her head vigorously, "Too scary." She scrolled through several more movies, "oh A Walk to Remember! That's my ultime favorite movie!"

Rolling his eyes, Lucas said "Brooke. You have a different ultime favorite movie every week."

Brooke pouted her lips. "Please Lucas? Please? With a cherry on top?"

Lucas sighed and gave in. "Fine!" Brooke squealed and hit select.

An hour and a half later, the movie was over and Brooke was asleep her head resting against Lucas's leg. Lucas smiled down at her, noticing how beautiful and peaceful she looked. He got up and got her a blanket, draping it over her and sitting back down. Brooke shifted in her sleep her head now lying in Lucas's lap. Lucas smiled and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight Brooke."


	6. Pain and Support

_Wow, it's been a while since I updated. I had writer's block, but my I'm starting to get a few ideas. Thanks for the 2 reviews that I got,  and please, please, please review. It means the absolute world to me! I don't know when I will be able to get the next chapter up, I start school tomorrow and I started another fic, it's called No Backing Down, read it if you get the chance D _

Brooke awoke to find herself lying against Lucas. She smiled at him sleeping. He looked so cute, so innocent. She walked quietly out of the room to take a shower, so that she wouldn't wake him up.

When she had dried off and dressed, she walked to the kitchen, to find Lucas cooking.

"Morning. Breakfast?" He asked holding a pan of eggs out towards her.

She raised an eyebrow humorously. "You cook?"

Lucas chuckled and replied, "Live a summer all by yourself. You get kinda sick of take out 24/7." He put a plate of eggs, bacon and toast in front of Brooke, who smiled in gratitude.

Lucas sat down beside her, and the two began eating, making small talk the while. Brooke grinned. Maybe this living arrangement wouldn't be so bad after all.

Haley sat in her room, looking around at all the pictures. There were ones of her with her parents, her siblings, Lucas, Brooke and Peyton, and Nathan. She studied one in particular of herself, Nathan, Brooke, Lucas, Peyton and Jake at Rivercourt. They all looked so happy. Haley wanted to go back to being that, but she didn't know how.

Haley looked up when she heard a knock at the door and gasped slightly when she saw Nathan standing.

"Nate…hey. What are you doing here?"

He gave her a tight smile. "Hi. I just figured that after how things ended yesterday, we could, you know, talk. Could I take you out to lunch?"

Haley beamed and followed him out to the car. This was a step in the right direction.

Once they were inside the Cafe and had sat down, a silence came over them. Neither one seemed to know how to start the conversation.

Nathan cleared his throat. "So how was your summer?"

Haley smiled in relief that he had taken initiative to say something. "It was good. It was nice, being with my parents again. We had a lot to catch up on. What about you?"

"Mine was good. Lots of work and it was hard, recuperating after the accident, but I dealt with it."

"I know you did. You're strong and I love that about you," Haley said.

Nathan gave her a slight smile. "Hales…I don't know what were doing. This is really weird you know?" Haley nodded.

"Everything that used to be like clockwork, is now so complicated. I don't know what I want, but I do love you, and maybe we can have what we used to have. But I don't know if I can just forgive and forget so easily," Nathan continued.

Haley hung her head. "I know. I feel regret everyday for what I did, and how bad I hurt you. If I could take it back, I would."

"I wouldn't. Look, you had to do what you had to. What if it had been ten years down the line, when we had kids, and bigger responsibilities?" Nathan asked pointedly. Haley bit her lip to keep the tears behind her eyes from falling.

He put his hand over hers. "Just so you know, it means a lot to me that you came back."

Brooke flopped next to Peyton on her bed dramatically and sighed heavily.

Peyton looked down at her, eyebrows raised. "Tough life B. Davis?"

"Very," Brooke replied sitting up. Her voice took on a more serious tone. "How 'bout you? How are you doing with Jake, and your mom, and everything?" She asked concernedly.

"I love you for caring, I do, but I'm ok," Peyton said, trying to convince both Brooke and herself.

"You and I both know that that's crap," Brooke placed her hand on Peyton's knee. "For real this time, how are you?"

Peyton sighed. She should have known better than to lie to Brooke, who could read her like a book. "I miss Jake a lot. I think about finding him everyday, but I wouldn't know where to start. I never felt as happy as when he was here. As for Elizabeth…I think about her sometimes. You know, whether she could really be my mother. Every time I do, I feel disloyal to my mom."

Brooke wrapped Peyton in a hug. "Pey, I'm sorry I didn't realize how much you had going on. Do you want to see that Elizabeth lady again?"

Peyton looked into her eyes. "Yes and no. I want to know her side of the story, but in a way I don't. What if she is my mom Brooke? What would I do?"

"I don't know. But I will be here for you. In fact, what if I go with you to meet Elizabeth?" Brooke asked. It pained her to see Peyton in pain. The thought of Peyton turning to drugs lingered in the back of her mind.

"Brooke you don't have to, really I-" Peyton started.

"I know. But I'm going to." Brooke and Peyton shared a smile.

"So, enough about me, what about you? How's living with Lucas?" Peyton asked in a lighter tone.

Brooke looked at her shoes. "Actually, it's pretty good. Considering what happened at the beginning of the summer…" Brooke trailed off and mentally slapped herself. She didn't mean to bring that up, as she had meant to bury it in the past. Oh well. She quickly relayed the events of the day she had left.

"Brooke! That's great! You like him; he likes you, what's the problem?" Peyton asked. She wanted to see Brooke happy.

"Peyton, there are lots of problems. I don't know if I can trust him," Brooke said the last part quietly. She knew Peyton was sorry for what she did, and she didn't like to bring it up.

"Brooke I know he's sorry. If he really liked me, don't you think he would have tried something this summer, with you 2000 miles away?"

"It's not that. It's just…I don't know if I can trust any guy right now. From all that I've experienced, they're a bunch of jerks. I don't want to put myself through that anymore," Brooke stated firmly. Her tone told Peyton to drop it, for now.

_Well? If you liked it review! If you didn't, review! I know it seems kinda Naleyish right now, but that doesn't mean it will be Naley. I still haven't decided. I have some ideas…anyways I will ud soon if you review. _


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